Interior design for apartments and homes, from the first sketch to the final detail

Who is end-to-end interior design for?

Designing a whole apartment or a private house suits people who want every room to speak the same language, rather than look like a collection of decisions made separately. Usually that means:

• People who have bought a new apartment and want to move into a home built around them, not around the developer’s standard specification.
• People planning a full renovation of an existing apartment who would rather make the decisions once, and in the right order.
• Owners of a private house looking for one material language that runs through floors, rooms and passages.
• People who know exactly what they like when they see it, but not how to turn it into plans.

What does home interior design include?

• Brief and first meeting: a conversation about habits, needs and budget, and a survey and measurement of the existing space.
• Space planning: a furniture layout, easy flow between rooms, and the position of built-in pieces.
• Concept and visualization: a design direction, a material and color board, and 3D renders that let you see the home before it is built.
• Materials and finishes: flooring, wall cladding, stone surfaces, wood, taps, hardware and lighting.
• Working drawings: electrical and lighting, ceilings and joinery details.
• Custom joinery: shelving, floor-to-ceiling cabinets, wood walls and storage.
• Renovation support during construction.
• Home styling: the final layer of textiles, ceramics, books and art.

The process, step by step

Every home is different, and so is its pace. The order, though, is almost always the same, because it is what prevents expensive mistakes on site.

1. Getting to know you

   The first meeting is less about style and more about life itself: who cooks, who works from home, what needs storing, and what bothers you in your current home. It is also the time to talk openly about budget and priorities. What to bring to that meeting, and which questions to ask, is in our guide to choosing an interior designer.

2. Survey and planning

   An accurate measurement of the existing space, followed by layout options. This is the stage where walls move on paper rather than on site, and where the decisions that are hardest to change later are made.

3. Concept, materials and visualization

   We choose a restrained palette, look at real samples in daylight, and test proportions in a render. A good render reveals problems of scale, color and light before anything has been ordered.

4. Working drawings and details

   Every electrical point, every light fitting and every cabinet dimension gets its place on paper. When the contractor, the electrician and the carpenter all work from the same drawings, their quotes also become comparable.

5. Construction and follow-through

   Even an excellent plan raises questions on site. A designer who knows every detail of the plan can answer them quickly, and make sure the solution chosen on site fits the rest of the home.

6. Finishing and styling

   Once the works are done, we add what turns a space into a home: curtains, textiles, ceramics and books.

How long each stage takes depends on the size of the home, the number of spaces, the amount of joinery and supplier lead times. For what affects a renovation timeline, see renovation guidance.

The material language: stone, oak, travertine and light

Luxury home interior design isn’t measured by the number of materials, but by the precision with which each one is used. The studio returns to a small group of materials and gives each a clear role.

• Stone: a kitchen island or a living-room plinth that reads as a single block. When the veining runs on from the top down the side, the illusion is complete. For a worktop, check the stone’s porosity and finish, polished or honed, because they decide how it will age. More in our guide to choosing kitchen stone.
• Oak: light oak for large surfaces such as floor-to-ceiling cabinetry and shelving; dark oak for the central pieces the eye rests on, such as a headboard wall or a coffee table.
• Travertine: a soft texture and a warm tone. It is naturally porous, so in wet areas it is usually filled and sealed. See the travertine guide.
• Walnut: a deep brown for drawers and small details that warms the pale stone beside it.
• Linen: curtains that filter the sun, an upholstered headboard, fabrics that soften the acoustics.
• Light: in layers. General light, task light and concealed light in niches, behind mirrors and under shelves. A warm color temperature, around 2700K, usually suits living spaces. More in our home lighting design guide.

We describe the whole approach (few materials, plenty of light, visual calm) in warm minimalism, done right. And if your home starts with a wood wall or a bookcase, read our guide to custom carpentry.

Room by room

Kitchen

The kitchen is the room where planning and material decisions depend on each other more than anywhere else in the home. In the stone and oak kitchen, the island is gray veined stone and the light-oak cabinetry rises to the ceiling. A lit stone niche gathers the sink and the coffee machine, so the rest of the wall stays a quiet run of wood fronts.

Living room

In the living room, the TV is set into a plaster wall instead of hanging on it. Beside it is light-oak shelving at varying heights, and beneath both runs a single stone plinth that ties them together. A dark-oak coffee table gives the room weight. See the oak living room.

Bathroom

A double travertine vanity, two backlit mirrors, wall-mounted taps and walnut drawers. Taps set in the wall keep the counter clear and easy to clean. See the travertine double vanity and our bathroom design service.

Bedroom

A curved dark-oak headboard wall wraps the bed, with a linen-upholstered headboard and travertine side tables. Pendant lights free the side tables for a book and a glass of water. See the dark oak bedroom.

Styling and finishing: the final layer

Home styling isn’t decoration. It is editing: fewer, larger pieces, with room to breathe between them. A few ceramics in one tone, books you actually read, one textured fabric, and a single carefully chosen artwork. A shelf left half empty is a decision, not an oversight.

Frequently asked questions about home interior design

How do you keep one design language when you design the home in stages?

Set a short palette in advance: one or two stones, a leading wood tone, one light temperature and one style of handles and taps. Every room planned later is chosen from that same palette, even if it is only done years from now. That way the new kitchen won’t feel foreign to the living room, and the next bathroom will carry on what is already there.

Can we bring furniture and pieces we already own into the new design?

Yes, and it is often a good idea. A much-loved sofa, a dining table handed down in the family or an artwork can become the starting point for the whole palette. Measure and photograph them at the very start, so the plan leaves them the right place, and the new materials are chosen to sit beside them rather than compete with them.

Does luxury interior design require an especially large budget?

Not necessarily. A sense of luxury comes mainly from the right proportions, a restrained palette and precise details: a clean meeting of stone and wood, concealed lighting, quiet hardware. It is wiser to invest in the few things you touch every day and keep the rest simple and well made. A worktop, a tap and a handle that last for years are worth more than one showy piece.

How do you find a style when you love many different things?

Collect pictures of spaces you have loved without filtering them, then look for what repeats: a wood tone, the kind of light, how many objects there are, the texture of the stone or fabric. That common thread matters more than the name of a style. The interior designer’s job is to spot it and translate it into one palette that suits your home and your life.